HYDERABAD: The rising demand for medical oxygen has turned agencies in Jeedimetla, Miyapur and Balanagar into oxygen cartels. With many people stocking cylinders at their homes for emergency purpose, leading to an acute shortage of oxygen, small private hospitals are finding it difficult get the supply of life-saver gas.“Most of the private hospitals procure oxygen from private agencies.
The corporate hospitals have a tie-up. But the hospitals which have started ventilator and supplemental oxygen services recently are facing difficulties because of shortage of oxygen cylinders,” said Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav, Secretary of Indian Medical Association (IMA). “The demand for oxygen to be administered at home has risen lately as most of the beds at private hospitals remain occupied,” he added.
Of the total 2,343 ICU beds available at private hospitals in the city, 2,233 beds (96.4%) are occupied till Monday and only 110 are vacant. Nearly 50 per cent of these 110 beds are in children’s hospitals, according to the data available on the government’s bed availability dashboard. Besides, there is no single ventilator bed available in corporate facilities like Apollo, Yashoda, KIMS or CARE Hospitals. The liquid oxygen agencies are refilling and selling oxygen cylinders at ten times more than normal price. The cost of refilling a cylinder is up from Rs 250 to Rs 2,500. Whereas, the price of a cylinder is now up from Rs 10,000 to Rs 60,000.
According to residents of Jeedimetla, people are willing to procure cylinders at any cost. “Every morning, cars assemble near this agency to procure oxygen cylinders as soon as the trucks arrive with supplies,” a resident of the area said.
“Liquid oxygen is not available after 11 am at any agency in the city. Most of the stock is sold on a first-come, first-serve basis that too, to the highest bidders,” said Syed Nayeem, who runs an oxygen retail shop at Attapur. “Everyday, at least ten hospitals in the neighbourhood call me seeking oxygen for emergency cases,” he added.
“The government has a surplus of oxygen. But there are cases of people purchasing and storing oxygen cylinders. We are looking into this issue,” said Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar. According to an official from the Health Department, the State has 70 MT of surplus oxygen ready to be supplied to government hospitals for the day.
The State-run hospitals currently supplementing 5,116 patients with oxygen and are holding 1,581 patients on ventilator support. “We have our cylinders. But, if people continue to buy cylinders to keep them at home. No matter how much oxygen there is, we wouldn’t be able to use it,” said Osmania General Hospital Superintendent B Nagender.
On Monday, a team of State government officials, headed by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, held a meeting with all the three private industries producing nearly 100 MT oxygen. During the meeting, the officials asked all the industries to prepare a report on cylinders available and also to submit details of all cylinders refilled and supplied so far.
“For now we have oxygen in plenty. But there is a shortage of cylinders. We will soon trace all the persons who have purchased oxygen cylinders and take action against them,” said IT and Industries Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan. “All cylinders supplied from now on will be registered, and the government will ensure that there is no shortfall,” he added.